INVEST is a practical, web-based, collection of voluntary best practices, called criteria, designed to help transportation agencies integrate sustainability into their programs and projects.

About INVEST

INVEST is a practical, web-based, collection of voluntary best practices, called criteria, designed to help transportation agencies integrate sustainability into their programs (a "program," as defined here, is a combination of policies, processes, procedures and practices) and projects. While the use of INVEST is voluntary, it can be used by transportation agencies, such as DOTs, MPOs, Council of Governments, public works departments, and their consultants and partners, to evaluate and aid the integration of sustainability into their programs and projects.

INVEST considers the full lifecycle of projects and has three modules to self-evaluate the entire lifecycle of transportation services, including System Planning (SP), Project Development (PD), and Operations and Maintenance (OM). Each of these modules is based on a separate collection of criteria and can be evaluated separately.

INVEST is intended to identify and recognize above-and-beyond efforts towards sustainability. Although many agency efforts could already be considered sustainable, if the efforts are typically required, no credit will be earned within this self-evaluation tool. For instance, there is no credit for completing NEPA documentation because it is required for federally funded projects and by many states.